Question 1

Do you work with contractors in Austin and Central Texas?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Blackthorne Wicker is headquartered in Austin, Texas, and Austin-area contractors are our core focus. We work with general contractors, subcontractors, and specialty trade contractors throughout Austin, Round Rock, Cedar Park, Georgetown, San Marcos, and the surrounding Central Texas region. Being local means we understand the Texas construction market and can meet in person at our office at 5000 Plaza on the Lake. We also support construction clients on the West and East coasts, but Austin and Central Texas is home.

Question 2

What does a construction accountant do that a regular CPA does not?

Accepted Answer

A construction accountant works with the financial mechanics specific to contracting: WIP schedules, percentage of completion revenue recognition, job cost variance, overbillings and underbillings, retainage receivables, AIA billing formats, and certified payroll for prevailing wage jobs. A general CPA may prepare your tax return correctly but typically lacks the framework to deliver bonding-ready financials, identify job-level profitability issues, or support a business sale to a strategic buyer.

Question 3

How do I get my books ready for higher bonding capacity?

Accepted Answer

Surety companies underwrite bonding based on your working capital, net worth, backlog, and WIP schedule. To increase your bonding capacity, your financials need to clearly show profitability per job, properly calculated overbillings and underbillings, and clean equity. We prepare construction financial statements specifically formatted for surety review, eliminate inconsistencies that reduce underwriting confidence, and establish reporting that supports growth in single project and aggregate bond limits.

Question 4

Do you handle certified payroll for prevailing wage jobs?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Certified payroll is a weekly reporting requirement for federally and state-funded public works projects subject to Davis-Bacon and prevailing wage laws. We process certified payroll across all 50 states, manage trade classifications and wage determinations, file required reports including WH-347 and state-specific forms, and ensure compliance to keep contractors eligible for public bid lists.

Question 5

When should I start preparing to sell my construction business?

Accepted Answer

Begin 24 to 36 months before going to market. Buyers and their accountants examine three years of historical financials during due diligence. Owner-mixed expenses, inconsistent revenue recognition, unclear job costing, or undocumented add-backs reduce valuation or kill deals. We establish a clean baseline, normalize EBITDA, build the WIP and backlog documentation buyers expect, and structure the transaction to preserve more of the proceeds at closing.

Question 6

We already have an in-house bookkeeper or controller. Why hire Blackthorne Wicker?

Accepted Answer

Most in-house accounting staff came up through general accounting and were never trained in construction-specific methods. A surety-ready WIP schedule, overbilling analysis that catches a cash flow problem early, certified payroll compliance, and sale-ready financials all require expertise your staff likely does not have, and the gaps only surface at the worst moment, when a surety flags your statements or a buyer finds problems in due diligence. We work as the senior construction-finance layer above your existing team. They handle the day-to-day. We handle the work that protects your bonding capacity, your tax bill, and what your business is worth. You keep your staff. You also get a construction CFO without the full-time salary.

Question 7

Do you work with trade contractors like electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and concrete?

Accepted Answer

Yes, as long as the work is construction. We work with specialty trade contractors who build: electrical, plumbing, mechanical and HVAC, concrete, masonry, framing, roofing, sitework, and similar trades doing project-based construction and renovation. We are built for contractors who bid jobs, run job costs, carry retainage, and may do prevailing wage or bonded work. We are not the right fit for residential home-services companies whose revenue is service calls, repairs, and maintenance, since the accounting needs there are different. If you build, we can help.

You know the build.
But you don't know the cash.

Am I making money on this job?

Can I get the next job bonded?

What is my business worth?

Construction accounting for contractors.

What we actually do.

Job Costing

Bookkeeping

Payroll

Tax Preparation

Advisory

M&A and Exit Planning

Simple. We stay out of your way.

Answered.

Let's talk.

You know the build.But you don't know the cash.